The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-19
INDIANA'S LARGEST LAKE
A Spread of Water More Beautiful than
Any of the Lakes of Switzerland.
The Attractive Surroundings of Turkey
Lake-indianapOlis People Who Spend
the Summer at Cedar Beach.

Inc QuleL OF Oe0dr beach Is stirred Dy the flut-
ter OF preparation over the coming visit of Com
pany A, of Indianapolis. Everybody knows that
Cedar Beach is Turkey lake, in Kosciusko
county. but everyone does not know, unless he
has this spread of water that it is the larg-
est and most beautiful lake in Indiana Per-
soDs who have travelled widely say that it is even
more beautiful than any of the famed lakes of
Switzerland that have place IN song
and story, and about which leg
end and history inextricably mixed
Nine Mile. or Turkey lake, as tits usually
called, doubtless has had its legends, but as
they in the Indian tongue, and the last of
the Pottawstomes disappeared from its shores
half a century ago, they have persisted for lack
81 a chronicler. The old resident the lake
still points out to the casual visitor. how
ever number of spots which the red
nan reluctantly yielded to the invader,
and shows one, Indian trail" place in the
AXE where the Pottawa.omies waded and swan
.her ponies il going from shore to the 9TH
sr 1t is much too deep now for equine swim
ming as q dam at the foot of Syracuse lake, as
the lower lake is called, has raised the water six
Feet or more. Turkey lake is connected with
Syracuse like by a channel, and boats pass from
body OF water to the other. None of the
natives waste time on the three syllables of Sy
-acuse. For all their purposes the short and
simple monosyllable of "'Cuse" is sufficient
When Company A arrives the members of that
band will go into camp above the clubhouse, on
high ground one of the most charming sites
on the lake. The Cedar Beach Club, with its
one hundred me bers, has investment here,
as an association, of over SIS, 600, besides which
many Of the members have made individual in
vestments in property the lake. The presi-
dent of tho club is DIR. j. f. Wright. of Column
hrs. vie Gatz of Chicaoo. sec-
rotary, Edwin Har ter. of Wabash; treasurer, w.
T. Lucas. Columbus; board OF managers-Col.
Eli Lilly, Simeon B. Carey. H. S. Tucker Indi-
annapolis; Seth B. Henshaw. Alexandria; H. E.
Eikenberry, Wabash; Willis b. Maier Fort
Wayne B. f. Draper, of Columbus, has for
FIVE seasons been in charge of the hotel, and
makes an admirabl host.
Gong up the lake from the club house the ad-
joining property, eighty five feet 'front.' belongs
TO Mr.. Noble, of Goshen, who will erect a cot
tage next Then beautiful
Itretch of ]. 100 feet belonging to A. H. Nordyke,
Of indianapolis. Further on is Ogden island and
beyond that Johnsons Kettle. A ''kettle' is
small bay and il may here be stated that the
kettles about Turkey lake are very pretty kettles
of fish. Cedar Point, Crows Landing
and Morrison's island are ali points
worthy of notice. At the head of the lake
where two small creeks come in from
little lakes beyond, are HartzelPs landing, where
there are two sets of springs one of iron and
one of sulphur. and to the south Is 'tJarretts,"
or "Buttermilk Point" famous alike for cold
spring water and cool, freshly -churned butter
milk, Stump Point" coming down the lake
from Jarrett's is pointed out as the place where
Judge Petit, of Wabash, delighted to
n al", the beauties Of Turkey Wv lake. and
year after year. long before it was much
known over the State, came here TO indulge in
bass fishing He was the first president OF the
Cedar Beach Association. Below stump Point
is Highland Park. Here John T. Vawter, the
banker of Franklin. has a cottage in which he
spends his summers. Adjoining this he has
farm of 200 acres in fine state of cultivation
Further down is Conkline's Hill, the highest
point on the lake. and ConklIug's Kettle Here
is Kindg's Hotel. where transportation of all
kinds is furnished for Kindig not only keeps
boats, but horses and buggies Next
come billions island and Jones's Land
ing or Oakland Grove. There are now
steamers the lake, the Anna Jones,
neat and trim craft that comfortably carries one
hundred passengers and a very small steamer,
owned by Mr.. Vawter. which carries twelve or
fifteen persons. Mr.. Kindig will launch new
carry fifty to sixty persons, so that when
Comps A arrives there will be full facilities
for showing them the sights on the lake.
steamboat ride of this kind means stretch OF
twenty three to twenty. five miles, which will
give an idea OF the extent OF Turkey lake.
The handsonest place upon the r., LAKE thus TAR
tage, the grounds of which have a lake front OF
700 feet more. with charming view to tbs
southeast ana SOUTHWEST anu up oHu 0O"A VIC
lake. The lake at this point is more than two
aud half miles across. Here as at most points
upon the lake. the beach is clean and sandy
gradually deepening as one goes outward There
is no tanele of weeds and grasses. as in most
lakes. and the water is so clear that one may
readily see the bottom at depth OF htteen or
twenty feet even deeper.
There is more bird life here than at any fire.
queuted lake in Indiana. One can scarcely look
across the water at any time without seeing the
lazy flap OF the long wings of white or blue
crane, see the flying blue head duck that is now
nesting in the marshes or hear the strange honk
of the wild goose. The red epauletted black
bird is on the shore saucily marching along the
sand, while the scream of the jay, mingled with
a thousand other bird sounds, Is in the woods.
There are orioles cat birds, red birds, thrushes
and now and then strange birds or oeautiful
pumage evidently from the far South and never
seen elsewhere in Indiana
1t is the intention Of the summer dwellers at
the lake to have a chapel assembly building
erected in time for occupancy next year. when
will be an additional attraction to the place. .
Turkey lake is noted for it's bass fishing. AT
one time it the custom for every one VINO
caught o large bass to bring 1t up TO the cluo-
house and holding It mp against the side OF tna'
structure, trace its outline against the building
These piscatorial diagrams after time became
so numerous that the club house took on the APP
pearance of an Egyptian temple, as each diagram
was accompanied by strange hieroglyphics in
tended to be explanatory as to the weight and
circumstances of capture intermlnaoie contro
VERSES arose as the linee thickened, and van
DIAL painter finally blotted them out forever
Every body who comes catches fish, bnt there
great surprises Inc veteran angler VINO
comes to fish for bass and would
scorn TO take anything else out OF
the lake devotedly applies himself al
dav and comes in a. nightfall without fin. He
is disposed to be conclatory and is gracious to
the humble fisherman who has taken can or
worms and in an hour or SO captured Two doZen
or more blues ills' (the local term for sunhsh1,
concedng that they are good parrish" But
his heart is quite broken when the novice OF the
party, person who has never caught nsn pc
fore in his life, shows up with string OF bass
fourteen or fifteen in number. varying IN
weight from three-quarters Of q pound TO three
and three-ouarters Nobody at Turkey lake de-
sends to vrirgers," as ringed perch are called.
There is nothing lower in the scale
taken than croppies, redeyes and blue-giiis Inc
professional olue-gil!er is stranger hsh tnan any
that inhabits the mysterious deep. He wears
conicalshaped wool hat, one tnat started Win
a brim. out which has been absorbed by the